mr. president, a new tragedy during the night, and our thoughts are with the people of west, texas. that's the name of a city in texas. our thoughts are with all of texas in the wake of a terrible explosion of a fertilizer in the factory of a town of west, why you have just outside waco. five to 15 deaths, a couple hundred who are wounded. they were working, they were sleeping, they were having dinner. i offer my condolences to those who lost loved ones and who have people who are wounded and injured. we'll continue to follow the news from texas as it develops today. and i'm going to do everything i can with my colleagues to ensure that this terrible tragedy has the resources of the federal government available to help the people of that city as they recover from this tragedy. mr. president, this nation has simply dealt with too much, too much loss during the last few months. once again i offer my condolences to the families who joined us here yesterday to honor the loved ones that they lost to gun violence and lobby for stronger background checks. the mothers and fathers of these m